January 2006

Published on January 30, 2006

Just Released…

The Supply and Distribution of Physicians in New York

The Center recently completed a profile of the supply and distribution of physicians licensed in New York. The study found that while New York experienced overall growth in the supply of physicians from 2000 through 2004, the physician workforce declined in some regions of the state, with decreasing numbers of primary care physicians and obstetricians/gynecologists in some upstate regions. The report also found that underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos and American Indians) made up only 10 percent of the physician supply in 2004 despite the increasing diversity of New York’s population. This report is posted to the Center’s Web site at: http://www.chwsny.org/index.php?nyphysicians

The Health Workforce in New York: Trends in the Supply and Demand for Health Workers

The Center has released its annual report of employment patterns for New York’s health workers by occupation and setting. The study found that health care providers statewide report recruitment and retention difficulties for a number of health professions and occupations, including registered nurses (RNs). Also, despite the increasing number of RN graduations in the state, the overall supply of licensed RNs has not grown accordingly, suggesting that RN production may not be keeping pace with attrition from the profession and the state. This report is posted to the Center’s Web site at: http://www.chwsny.org/index.php?nys_track

The Role of Innovative Technology in Improving the Quality of Patient Care: Training Implications for the Health Workforce

The Center investigated the latest developments in health care technology, the prevalence of various types of technology in New York City area hospitals, and the impact of technology adoption on training needs for health care workers. The study identified five major categories of technology emerging in health care that were of growing interest to the hospitals: electronic medical records, telehealth, clinical technology, distance learning/continuing education, and other technologies. The study found that technology adoption in New York City hospitals is currently uneven, with some health care providers taking the lead and others doing very little; funding is a large issue; and exposure to and use of technology should be integrated into the curricula of education programs for all health professionals. This report is posted to the Center’s Web site: http://www.chwsny.org/download.php?f=ecd5da37ea30238d458da0795c286e9a

Also…

Aging and the Public Health Workforce

This paper, published in the Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, examines the impacts of the aging of the country’s public health nurses (PHN) and public health physicians (PHP). The findings suggest potential shortages of public health nurses and physicians in local health departments, especially in rural areas. The findings also point to the need for public health prevention efforts aimed at older adults to include driving cessation, medication safety, and fall prevention, while existing public health prevention programs must be tailored to the needs of older adults.

The Impact of the Aging Population on the Health Workforce in the U.S.

The Center is completing a report that assesses the impact of the aging of the population on the supply and demand for a variety of health professionals. This report, which is funded by HRSA, profiles the broad impact that aging Americans will have on the health workforce in general, and on 18 health professions, specifically.

Underrepresented Minority Physicians

This report examines New York physicians and current trends in the training outcomes of recent medical graduates in the state. The analysis highlights racial/ethnic differences in specialty, gender and age distributions, and in practice patterns, and focuses on the concern that the racial/ethnic composition of the physician workforce can impact on the quality of care for certain patient groups.

Physician Retirement in New York

The Center is producing a series of reports on retirement trends in New York’s physician workforce. The studies will provide better perspective on the growing concern that some medical specialties may be in short supply as a result of physician retirements. A number of factors influencing physician retirement rates are considered in these reports, including demographic and practice characteristics as well as malpractice insurance premium rates.

Other News…

Julia Karnaukhova, Director of Career and Placement Services at the Tyumen State Medical Academy in Siberia was a visiting scholar in residence at the Center from August through December 2005. The purpose of her visit was to learn more about health workforce research in order to establish a center for health workforce studies in her home region of Siberia. She assisted the Center and two other collaborating workforce research centers in writing a chapter of a report commissioned by the World Health Organization about health workforce monitoring strategies. Dr. Karnaukova has returned to Siberia and plans to continue working collaboratively with the Center on health workforce research studies.

Jean Moore, the Director of the Center, attended the International Symposium on Past and Future Trends of the Health Workforce sponsored by the World Health Organization in Barcelona, Spain last April and presented a paper on foreign-trained registered nurses in the United States. The paper provided a basic profile of these nurses, including their demographic characteristics, practice settings, source countries and destination states. The paper also examined the contribution that these nurses make to the diversity of the RN workforce in the U.S. The presentation of this paper is posted to the Center’s Web site: http://www.chwsny.org/download.php?f=5bcb5601a62b1ec85677e9e9b2080b5e

Tell us what you think…

We’d like to hear from you. Please give us feedback on our website or any of the reports or information we have posted to it. E-mail us at chws@health.state.ny.us.